GPS your way around Fieldays

Date: 25.05.2018

A new Fieldays app has been launched to help visitors better navigate their way around the 114-hectare site at Mystery Creek in Hamilton

The free official app enables visitors to use GPS mapping to plan their day in advance. "We are really excited about the technology, which means visitors will have a much better search and site experience," New Zealand National Fieldays Society marketing and communications manager Taryn Storey says.

"People can download the app for free now and begin to plan their visit and where they might go before they arrive."

The app has been developed by GPS-it, a precision land mapping company based in the Bay of Plenty and supported by Fieldays principal partner, Vodafone. GPS-it has digitally mapped the entire Mystery Creek site, capturing key features and GPS points.

"We made a digital GIS (geographic information system) plan of the Fieldays site using a combination of technologies," Paul Haakma, GIS software developer with GPS-it says.

"To do that, we took multiple flights over the site with a plane to capture high-resolution imagery and mapped GPS locations with survey grade equipment. Using this base data, we were able to draw highly accurate site layout plans using the world-leading GIS software."

This means visitors can view a digital plan of the Fieldays site via the new app in the same way they might in Google Maps, with exhibitors, streets, and key areas identified.

Routing

An important development this year is routing. Fieldays visitors will be able to use the app to find the best route from A to B. The app will provide people with directions and the shortest route from their current position to where they want to go to meet a friend or visit an exhibitor site.

"When you are walking around Fieldays, you can search the app and it will not only find where you want to go but tell you the best route for walking there," Taryn says. "We know that people do a lot of walking at Fieldays, so we expect that this technology will be beneficial to visitors and save time and sore feet."

The new Fieldays app can help people find the nearest coffee cart, food retailer, and toilets as well as key zones, including Innovations Centre, Health and Wellbeing Hub, Careers and Education Hub, and Kitchen Theatre.

"It’s convenient and useful. If you want to meet a friend or find where an exhibitor is located, simply input the information into the app on your mobile phone and it will plan the shortest route.

"I believe our new app will make the Fieldays experience better for people and make it easier for everyone to get around the large Fieldays site at Mystery Creek."

Taryn says the feedback from users last year has led to improvement in this year’s design. "We hope we’ve ironed out any glitches. In particular, we’ve improved the keyword search function, which some people had problems with last year."

Pin my car

Popular features such as ‘pin my car’ will also be included, and this year, the app creates a route for you to follow back to your car. People will also be able to ‘favourite’ exhibitors or sites and use a timetable option in the app.

The app is available as a free download via the App Store or Google Play. For more information, visit fieldays.co.nz.